“Success is peace of mind.” — John Wooden
I was listening to a book this morning during my run, and heard this quote from the legendary coach, John Wooden.
A quick glance at Coach Wooden’s accomplishments at UCLA makes the quote even more powerful: under Wooden’s guidance, the Bruins set all-time records including four perfect 30-0 seasons, 88 consecutive victories, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories, and ten national championships, including seven in a row.
Clearly, the man was successful, and yet he didn’t define success as the things he accomplished, but as the peace he had while he accomplished those things.
In our fast-paced, win-now-or-be-fired culture, Wooden’s quote is a powerful reminder that we can do plenty of things externally, but it’s what we possess internally that defines us as a success or a failure.
In the words of another successful person, peace that passes our understanding, but guards our minds (that’s from Philippians 4:7).
